A Plea for Automatticians  ## Metadata - Author: [[kelliekp]] - Full Title: A Plea for Automatticians - Category: #articles - Document Note: --- tags: - #WordPress - #CorporateGovernance - #OpenSource Author: Kelly Peterson Source: YouTube (Transcript of “A Plea For Automatticians”) Reference: [Link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvCreusqNBw) date created: 2024-10-17 18:50 --- # Title: A Plea for Automatticians - Former Employee's Perspective on WordPress Leadership ## Table of Contents: - [📝 Summary](#-summary) - [📖 Main Content](#-main-content) - [🗒️ Notes](#-notes) - [📖 References](#-references) - [🗣️ Paraphrase](#-paraphrase) - [📰 Newsletter](#-newsletter) - [✅ Action Items](#-action-items) - [🧪 Hypotheses](#-hypotheses) - [📊 Methodology](#-methodology) - [❓ Questions](#-questions) - [🔮 Future Research](#-future-research) - [💡 Implications](#-implications) - [🧠 Learning Styles Assessment](#-learning-styles-assessment) - [📊 Accessibility Assessment](#-accessibility-assessment) - [🌍 DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging) Assessment](#-deib-diversity-equity-inclusion-and-belonging-assessment) - [✅ Logical Validity](#-logical-validity) - [🔍 SEO Evaluation](#-seo-evaluation) - [🎯 Conclusion](#-conclusion) ## 📝 Summary: In this video, Kelly Peterson, a former employee of Automattic, shares her concerns about the leadership of Matt Mullenweg, the CEO of Automattic. Peterson discusses the toxic workplace culture that has developed under Mullenweg’s leadership, characterized by fear, unethical decisions, and lack of transparency. She expresses her sorrow for current employees trapped in a culture of lies and manipulation, and calls for more scrutiny of Mullenweg’s behavior, especially regarding governance decisions within WordPress. ## 📖 Main Content: The video highlights Peterson’s experiences while working at Automattic, touching on several key concerns about Mullenweg’s leadership. She explains how the company’s decision-making processes have become increasingly unethical, culminating in actions like attempting to extort WP Engine, taking over plugins like Advanced Custom Fields, and manipulating the internal culture to create a hostile work environment. Her plea is directed toward current employees, encouraging them to recognize the toxic leadership patterns and to reflect critically on Mullenweg's actions, particularly his influence over WordPress.org and its governance. ### 🗒️ Notes: - **Background on Automattic**: - Peterson worked for Automattic from late 2016 to early 2023. - She emphasizes her respect for WordPress and Automattic employees, describing them as “gracious, caring, loving, and smart.” - However, she states that Automattic's leadership, especially Matt Mullenweg, has shifted into unethical practices in recent years. - **Concerns Raised**: - **Toxic Leadership**: - Mullenweg is accused of fostering a culture of fear within Automattic. - Peterson describes him as manipulating employees, misinforming the board, and lying to the public. - Internal transparency that was once a hallmark of Automattic has eroded. Previously, the company shared acquisition and financial information openly with staff, but this has changed, particularly regarding recent controversial decisions. - **Financial Mismanagement**: - Peterson claims that Mullenweg’s decisions have negatively impacted the company’s financial health. - She accuses him of misleading employees and the public about the company’s struggles and of making desperate financial moves, such as the attempted extortion of WP Engine. - **Hostile Takeover of Plugins**: - Mullenweg's takeover of the Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) plugin is described as an act of revenge against WP Engine. - This action set a concerning precedent for how plugins are governed and managed within the WordPress ecosystem, with Mullenweg using his influence to take control over essential pieces of the platform. - **Workplace Culture**: - Peterson talks about a cult-like mentality forming around Mullenweg, with employees pressured to support his actions or face backlash. - She highlights specific incidents where dissenting voices were silenced or punished, reinforcing a culture of loyalty to Mullenweg over loyalty to the WordPress community. - **Legal and Ethical Violations**: - Peterson mentions leaked information about unethical deals, including Automattic’s alleged sale of user content to train AI models, which was hidden from the public. - She also refers to accusations against Mullenweg for attempting to blackmail a woman to join the company, calling it a violation of both the law and WordPress's ethical principles. - **Call for Critical Reflection**: - Peterson urges current Automattic employees to reconsider their loyalty to Mullenweg, to reflect on whether his actions align with the values of WordPress, and to take action to address the toxic culture before it worsens. - **Community and Culture at Risk**: - Peterson's plea underscores a broader concern about the future of the WordPress project. She fears that the leadership style at Automattic will alienate contributors, foster a toxic environment, and weaken the open-source community's cohesion. ## 📖 References: - Kelly Peterson, “A Plea for Automatticians,” YouTube, [Link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvCreusqNBw) ## 🗣️ Paraphrase:  1. Kelly Peterson describes her deep concern for the employees of Automattic, highlighting the growing culture of manipulation and fear. She suggests that Mullenweg is leading the company down an unethical path, citing incidents of financial mismanagement, the hostile takeover of plugins, and the shift in workplace culture that pressures employees to remain loyal to him. 2. In addressing the broader WordPress community, Peterson explains that the actions taken by Mullenweg not only affect Automattic but also threaten the integrity of the open-source WordPress project. She warns that Mullenweg’s control over key resources and governance could have long-term consequences for WordPress. ## 📰 Newsletter: In this issue, we bring you an important message from former Automattic employee Kelly Peterson, who sheds light on the toxic leadership culture within the company. As WordPress continues to grow, it’s crucial that we reflect on the values that have built this community. Peterson’s call to action reminds us that transparency, ethical governance, and accountability should remain at the forefront of everything we do. Read more about her experiences and the future of WordPress governance. [Full video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvCreusqNBw) ## ✅ Action Items: Kelly Peterson’s testimony brings up several points critical to my focus on open-source advocacy and WordPress governance. Her concerns about Mullenweg’s control over WordPress.org and plugin governance reflect the need for transparent and inclusive decision-making processes. As a Developer Advocate, this aligns directly with my work in promoting sustainable governance models and ensuring that corporate influence does not compromise the integrity of open-source projects. Additionally, the issues raised around workplace culture highlight the importance of fostering inclusive and ethical environments within both corporate and open-source communities. ## 🧪 Hypotheses: 1. As corporate control within open-source projects grows, the risk of misaligned governance increases. 2. A lack of transparency in leadership decisions negatively impacts contributor engagement and trust within the open-source community. ### 📊 Methodology: - Conduct surveys of open-source contributors to gauge the impact of leadership transparency on contributor retention. - Case studies of open-source projects with strong vs. weak governance models to assess their long-term success. ### ❓ Questions: - How can WordPress balance the need for corporate leadership with its core open-source values? - What are the long-term risks of concentrating governance power within a small group of individuals? ### 🔮 Future Research: Future studies should explore how corporate-led governance structures affect the dynamics of open-source projects. There is also an opportunity to examine how contributor-led governance models fare in contrast to more ce - Document Tags: [[automattic]] [[matt mullenweg]] [[open source corporate contribution]] [[wordpress]] [[wpdrama]] [[wp engine]] - Summary: My plea for Automatticians during this awful time: an explanation. I'm #teamWordPress and #teamautomattician all day, every day. But I still believe in the creed, even though I believe Matt Mullenweg has perverted it into an unrecognizable jumble of BS to enrich himself on the backs of underpaid staff and unpaid volunteers. The Automattic Board of Directors needs to act swiftly to correct this dereliction of duty and remove Matt, force Automattic to surrender the commercial license, and set a plan for appropriate utilization without the tangled web he spun to hide his sole ownership of wordpress.org. If you feel stuck reach out to a former Automattician for help (still not soliciting leaks, we want to support). Speak to a therapist. Consider talking to a union if that's an option where you live. #wpdrama #wordpressdrama #wordpresswars #mattmullenweg #wpengine #silverlake #blackrock #salesforceventures - URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvCreusqNBw hello gentle beings my name is Kelly Peterson I am the former head of domain names at automatic or wordpress.com I used to work with Matt mullenweg for Matt Mullen WG for six and a half years from late 2016 to early 2023 it's taken me a long time in order to decompress from working for mat uh as is case for a lot of people it is a very uh unique experience and I learned a lot from it um and I've had to unlearn a lot from it it's like I said it's been since early 2023 and now I'm retired um I don't ever want to work for another person again I'm happy to work with people and and help them and that's a big part of why I'm doing what I'm doing I have a little bit too much time on my hands right now as I've transitioned to being a retired person but my main motivation right now is to to help protect the WordPress community and all of the people that I met at automatic and all of the people who have now exited automatic with similar stories to mine and frankly much worse and it's because of that community that I am being so vocal right now so I hope you'll take the time to watch the next uh seven and a half minutes or so while I explain to you a little bit more about why I'm doing what I'm doing hi everyone this message is is for my fellow uh automatici or my formerly fellow automatici um I just want to say this again for the people in the back and make it very clear I love WordPress I deeply care about the employees Automatic automatici by and large in my experience have been some of the most gracious caring loving and smart people that I have ever had the pleasure of working with things have definitely changed changed over the last U few weeks and I would say going back as much as the last couple of years what I don't like is liars grifters and bullies and what you all are going through because of the actions of Matt mullenweg is hideous and please let me explain before you come at me just take a moment to listen I am really sorry that you're being lied to and manipulated in order to justify his acts it's it's his grift he's the reason the company has been struggling financially he has been the one that has changed Direction over and over again and had people working at Cross purposes and a whole host of other things that I believe but certainly can't prove nor honestly what I want to but he's lying to you I believe that he is lying to the board and he is certainly lying in the court of public public opinion internally I want you to think about this internally automatic has been historically incredibly open with its stealthy plans its acquisition plans its financials like insanely open to the point where Matt would often get dumped on by his own staff because of decisions or things like that we all know that I'm sure that that information is still uh available within automatic none of that stuff in the entire time I've known about it has leaked none of it didn't leak when there was the acquisition of Tumblr didn't leak when there was the acquisition of woo didn't leak when there was the acquisition of blog why because none of that was shady unethical or breaking any laws it really wasn't until this year that we started seeing things come out and I think that is because Matt is under a lot of stress to perform and he's making decisions that are not ethical the leak of the information about the sale of user content across Tumblr wordpress.com and other venues to open Ai and mid journey in order to train their AIS clearly one or more of your colleagues thought that that was so antithetical to the ethos of automatic and frankly to the agreement that automatic had with its users that they felt it needed to be known by the public so they took that in their own hands did it damage the reputation of automatic yeah it did but frankly it sounds like it deserved to be and now you have Matt in his position of extreme power over the entire WordPress ecosystem you all know how much power he wields and it turns out some of us didn't know the extent of that power I certainly didn't know that he was the sole owner of.org I've spoken to many other people very high ranking people who used to be there they didn't know it be honest with yourself did you know it then he took this control over his position his previously unknown control of the distribution channels and a flimsy TM claim and he tried to extort money from a organization who you who he used to tout as being exemplary in the community yes that organization changed controls but he encouraged them to build a business using the exact same tactics that they are using today the only difference is Matt is now under the gun to improve the financial well being of automatic again that is his fault your colleagues who have leaked this information they know that his actions are not in alignment with the Creed that Creed when you really look at it no longer exemplifies Matt's ethos think critically about what you have been saying about your now former colleagues I don't even care about what you're saying about me but don't come at me and tell me that I'm overreacting when you know darn well what's being said in those channels because I have actually seen some of it so you've got these people who know that this is not in alignment with the Creed with ethics with General ethics and the overall ethos of Open Source and we've also learned from the legal complaint against Matt and automatic that he was trying to Blackmail a woman to join the company how can you look at that action and support it how can you support the man who does this blindly without stopping and thinking critically that something might be a Miss how can you cheer his hostile takeover of advanced custom Fields as though it was anything other than a naked Revenge how can you call for leakers to be paraded around the upcoming 2025 GM so that you can all get eggs and Pelt the the leaker or leakers as a sorry I'm actually really upset about this because this this kind of thing this mob mentality that some of you have developed that that's not part of the automatic that I knew and loved and I don't think that that is part of the automatic that so many of you joined and it makes me so sad to think about how much you've bought into the lies and the cult of personality that Matt mullenweg has instilled there and how much fear he has instilled in you while he calls for people at WP engine to leak to him but he is going on with which hunts which hunts in order to stop the leaks coming out of automatic some of you have turned this into a ugly and twisted malevolent cult and I hope that when the rose-colored glasses shatter for you that you're still able to look yourself in the mirror and be comfortable with the things that you said and did in order to justify his grift thanks so much for taking the time to listen I appreciate it and I hope you have a bigger understanding of what it is that I'm trying to accomplish and if you need to stay within automatic know that I still support you there's so many reasons that people are afraid to take this kind of step and certainly it doesn't help when you're pressured to do it in a a quick time frame so you have my support and if and when you are on the other side know that you're welcome Among Us Peace, A Plea for Automatticians, kelliekp, 01jae2rrhsbtm0zefxzanxrns6.